This picture from Sami Hamailainen in my blog last week created a lot of positive comments. Dick Butler who is on it , still remembered all names from the US team members standing around the 2 WGC Champions Ingo and George [ 1976] . So I give them to you as well and THANK YOU  to Dick.

 left to right, Ross Briegleb, Tommy Beltz, Dick Butler, Dick Johnson surrounding Ingo and George.

Another THANK you for Sami. The pictures are , as I heard from him , from the heritage of his dad Seppo Hamalainen and he is the one with the beard , raising the FAI flag on the next picture.

Among the 134 pilots flying in Nitra for the Pribina Cup from yesterday onward, I could not find one Italian pilot.
Reason?  They compete with 21 pilots in a mixed class for the 42d Trofeo Internazionale  Citta di  Torino 2014. An early spring competition in their own country.
Starting in the weekend of the 11th, the balance  of the results after 3 days was best for the 2 pilots in the ARCUS, though the Duo Discus XLT pilots were only 23 points behind.
The first day was a bit of a battle field , with only 4 pilots finishing after  the set 285.3 km. task.Among them the LS 8 pilot Vittorio Pinni.
Day 2 was a 2 hour AAT -day and Luca De Marchi flew 189 km. in 2 hours 6.
Day 3 was a bit BIGGER with a 2.30 AAT won by Duo Discus XLT team.
They continued again in the weekend of the 18th, but the weather did not co-operate, so a non flying day.
Yesterday they visited Torino as the weather was not flyable.

The weather in the Alps however was perfect last week, with long cross country flights on Tuesday [1.342 km.,in a Nimbus 3DM from Lienz in Austria] ] but also from Bolzano  in Italy,  close to the border of Austria , they flew 822 km. in an LS 6.
On Wednesday the weather was as good or even better. Austria, [ Lienz and Noetsch]  and Italy [Calcinate] had a lot of happy pilots adding over 1000 km. flights on the OLC. 10 In total and a few over 1.200 km.
1.322 km in an ASH 26 E is SUPERB. As the pilot, Axel Beuer mentioned:
“ An early start, a late landing . In the morning HANG, in the afternoon  thermals , in the evening ridge soaring again.With climbs up to 6m/s. What -a-day!!!!”

Also the 1.027 km.in a Janus 18.2 m was a joy for both pilots.
3 Toppilots in Calcinate were also on the right place on the right time and all 3  flew over 1000 km!! Peter Hartmann ,who flies there a lot but is Austrian, flew with Sandro Montemaggi and  Luciano Avanzini a 1000. It looks like Sandro flew his first 1000 as ” BRAVO SANDRINO”  from the very experienced Luciano sounds like something VERY GOOD!!!!

Germany had some great flights as well; Young Fabian Peitz flew in the St. Libelle 672 km.[500 FAI triangle] And over 500 FAI triangles by 2 LS 1f pilots is worth mentioning as well.
Spring is GOOD/GUT/ TRES BIEN!!!!
Nearly 900 flights on a ” normal”  day in the middle of the week is good, certainly for the time of the year.

As said the Pribina Cup started yesterday and though the weather was tricky  on the 2 hour AAT in each of the 4 classes, some pilots managed to finish , but some lost straight away points with their  outlanding.
Points were not too expensive as winners only got a ” few points.
In Club class nobody passed the 100 km. line BUT, one Polish pilot flew 97.1 km. A zero points day in this class.
In 15 m. class it was a bit better , with 5 pilots from 28 finishing !Winner with 164 points and 170 km. in 1.45 was Finnish pilot Tapio Tourula. Good on him!
2 Austrian pilots [Wolfgang Janowitsch among them] and 2 Czech pilots got some points as well.
In open class only 21 km. out was the best result of the day, I think it was more like engines on and  flying back home or just turn around and land again.
Same as in the 2-seater class.
For today they expect showers and thunderstorms but also ” windows”,  so it looks they are going to fly.

More comps are in progress at the moment, as in Czech Rep . 80 competitors in 2 classes fly for the AZ Cup.
Fatra Glide in Slovakia has 35 pilots in 2 classes.
The very last Australian competition is flown from Goondiwindi in Queensland with 50 pilots participating in 3 classes.
918 points for the winner in club class there over a 2.45 AAT. Ray Stewart in the Discus BT had to fly 297 km. in 2.47 to get them.
824 points in Sports class where the JS 1 with Iain Craigie in it,  flew 304 km. over a 2.30 AAT in 2.34.
And the 2 seaters, had Peter Trotter in the Duo Discus as winner on this first day with a 2.30 AAT for them;229 km. in 2.27 with as result 800 points.
And there are more , you can follow them on www.soaringspot.com.

Wishing you all HAPPY EASTER days!!!

Cheers Ritz
CU next Sunday back here in the CAFE!!!